“You Know What I’m Talking About”
There’s a little bit of Strangers on a Train thread in the plot for this, the latest Nicolas Cage potboiler. Guy Pearce isn’t exactly Bruno Antony with a shaved head, but he’s talking the same basic concept of murder-swapping. If only they’d stuck with the original title — The Hungry Rabbit Jumps.
At least Nicolas Cage appears relatively normal-looking in this. He was so bloated and disheveled and seemingly over-surgeried in Trespass that it was actively unpleasant to watch.
This film is ill-conceived and at odds with the current zeitgeist. It plays with similar themes and motifs from the 70′s vigilante films, i.e. Dirty Harry and Death Wish. It suffers from the same problem as the current Batman movies.
We all know that the problem is not low level criminals (i.e. the scum of the street), it’s the rapacious greed and avarice of the Wall Street con artists and their politician lackeys.
A really subversive film would not have a secret society bumping off muggers and rapists; it would be raiding boardrooms and knocking off Ponzi scheme charlatans.
Both Batman films have dealt with corruption within the politics, business, and the mob.
About the only good thing I can say about that title is that it’s better than “The Star Chamber 2: Crowdsourcing Vengeance”
Definitely got the Star Chamber vibe, as well. Also, a little bit of the Cat’s Eye segment Quitter’s Inc., where Alan King cut off James Wood’s wife’s finger.
Agreed, I loved the original title–but I understand why they made it generic: for money. I’m surprised it got a March release date after being shelved for 2 years.
Anyway, hopefully January Jones can get a role as good as Betty Draper on film. I do think she has potential.
Check out Nicholas Cage on http://www.bindingsangst.net for hidden features!
Remember N. Cage on http://www.assertiviteitstraining.org
I never understand why these secret organizations don’t explicitly spell out the rules for these kind of scenarios. If the guy doesn’t want to play tit-for-tat, then they walk away and find someone else to play along. Why risk the guy freaking out over having to murder a guy when they can either find someone else who’s more willing or just do the job themselves?
As for Soma’s question, the answer is ‘probably not’. The roles for women in mainstream films are far less potent than those offered on TV. On Mad Men, Christina Hendricks gets to portray a three-dimensional character and a feminist icon of sorts. In Drive, she plays a stripper who gets beaten up by Ryan Gosling and then immediately executed via shotgun blast to the head in lurid slow motion. On Mad Men, January Jones portrays a flawed but complex representation of the 1960s suburban housewife. In Seeking Justice, she plays Nicolas Cage’s helpless wife (she’s 14 years younger than him and 26 years younger than her last big-screen partner, Liam Neeson) is mugged and sits by while others avenge her, only to end up as a bound/gagged hostage in the third act. It’s no wonder our best actresses inevitably find themselves running to television.
January Jones bound and gagged?
Say no more. HOT.
I guess we will see is Clooney will win the big award this year. Haven,t seen it yet but looking forward to it.
Maybe Cage will make it also? Although action oriented films tend to have difficulity.
Was trailer intentionally cut to call attention to how awful an actress Jones is? As if anyone needed to be reminded?
Cage = I’m fuckin’ there.
Also, Roger Donaldson. So that’s nice.
Uh, looks better than Ghost Rider 2 so yeah, can’t be bad right?
Looks like exactly what you would expect out of a solid March programmer.
I like how most Cage performances now are these Kanye-esque remixed versions of what he’s done before — mix and match his facial hair from Kiss of Death, hair from Lord of War (I’m sure that’s completely inaccurate, and resident barber school graduate Lex will be here shortly to set me straight), voice from The Rock, and…voila!
The average moviegoer’s response is probably a cocked head, and “waitasecond, this looks awfully familiar — hasn’t he played this exact same character before? (beat) Naaaaaaah, must just be my imagination!”.
“It’s no wonder our best actresses inevitably find themselves running to television.”
And the ones we really wanna fuck are still in the movies — the more things change…:)
(Christina Hendricks is “one of our best actresses?”!)
Mendelson, Dr. Bob:
Without knowing anything but what’s in the trailer, my prediction – the “secret society” angle is a red herring, and it will be revealed that Pearce’s group deliberately set up the attack on Cage’s wife in order to get him to kill the “pedophile” who is in fact some activist who has dirt on the bad cops, and there will be some revelation of Cage’s past that makes him the perfect fall guy to do the hit for them. That’s why.
I wouldn’t bet against you, The Hoyk…
LexG, for hilariously gratuitous bondage action, check out Abduction. There’s a scene about halfway through where Lily Collins gets captured and given the full treatment. She does not get rescued by Lautner, but rather frees herself, then does not help him during his big fight scene, but rather walks in right as its ending. So since she’s not saved by Lautner (IE no rescue fantasy at play), and she doesn’t play a part in the ensuing action (so no empowering moment for the token girl), the only purpose for said sequence is to have something to post on various ‘celebrities in bondage’ websites. Classy…
This has already leaked online
Ghost, actually Woods’ wife is taken to the cat room in Cat’s Eye. It’s another “client’s” wife who’s finger is cut off that Woods sees, confirmation that they’re serious about the penalty for going overweight after quitting smoking.
But yeah, that’s what I was thinking, The Star Chamber meets Cat’s Eye.
Didn’t know Pearce is bald.
This does not in any way look better than Ghost Rider 2, and if you think that you’re insane.
drbob FTW
Looking forward to this one
Can’t wait…..